After discussing theme in class, provide the theme that your group developed through close analysis of the text and your plot map. Then, defend your theme. Why does this theme make sense for the novel? How does this theme relate to the contemporary American lifestyle?
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ReplyDeleteRejection can make someone do rash things so they can feel love and closeness. This theme of rejection is seen through Rufus as he hurts Dana and Alice and uses them to get them to stay with him. Rufus loves Dana and Alice and wants to show them love and doesn’t want to hurt them, but when they reject him he takes drastic measures to make sure they stay with him. On page 163 Rufus asks Dana to help him get Alice. “Maybe I can’t ever have that-both wanting,both loving. But I’m not going to give up what I can have.” This shows Rufus loves Alice and he just wants love from her and to feel loved and he will do anything he can to get it. On page 185, Dana is trying to leave with Kevin when Rufus catches them “You were just going to leave,” Rufus said to Kevin. “No thanks, nothing at all, just take her and go.” Later on page 186 Rufus takes his gun and threatens to kill Kevin and Dana if they don’t come back. This shows that Rufus loves Dana and wants her to stay, but is facing rejection from her. He tries to do anything her can, even threatening them to get them to stay with him. Is there any other characters facing rejection like Rufus is?
ReplyDeleteI agree that the theme of rejection is present within the story because when Rufus is rejected he does become violent due to the fact that he feels betrayed and unwanted. What do you think Rufus is capable of doing when he becomes violent due to rejection?
DeleteI see where you are going with this, however I do not see this in the same way. I think that Rufus does not love Dana, but he does respect her. I would say that he doesn't love her simply because shes made a lot of his life harder. It's possible that he wouldn't have allowed himself to love Alice. What you see as a retaliation to rejection, I see as fear. Rufus' own father treats him like garbage so Dana may be the first person to really try to help Rufus. All together I would say that rather than feeling rejected, Rufus is simply confused about what he should do now without Dana.
DeleteThe theme I see throughout the story is that people should appreciate what they have and use the opportunities that are presented, because of those who don’t have the opportunity. Text evidence for this statement comes page 236 where it says, “Surprisingly, the children liked it. I couldn’t recall having liked school much when I was their ages.” This quote shows she didn’t appreciate what others would normally be denied. This also shows how eager these kids were to become educated, something that slaves were barred and or blocked by the law from becoming.
ReplyDeleteI agree, she is also more appreciative of her home and what she has seeing how badly people were treated in the 1800's and how black people didn't have any rights.
DeleteYes, it does make you realize how good your life is and how fortunate you are to be able to experience a better life than others, but I'm not saying her life isn't that good, she still goes through life changing situations that change her point of view on people and life in general.
DeleteI agree, like the others, to both of your point, however I think that I may disagree on the importance of each. It seems to me that the appreciation of what one has, particularly Dana in our book, is a sub idea of using what one has. Looking at our book, we see that over time (and pretty early on) Dana appreciates what she has; this does not mean that anything changes. Only at the point that Dana decides to step forward and try to change the way people are in this time to we find a true difference being made.
DeleteI think a theme throughout the book is finding strength within, I believe that this fits for Dana because with time traveling back and forth from her normal time of 1976 to Rufus’ time in 1818. Dana has needed to find inner strength to keep going and not give up when things get rough, text evidence would be, “The bag was too full to close completely by the time everything was in, but I tied it shut with its own rope drawstring, and tied the drawstring around my arm.”(114 & 115). This quote shows that Dana is begging to gain strength because she accepted that she was going to go back but she wanted to be ready and prepared for whenever she was going to.
ReplyDeleteI agree, during the book she also finds that she's stronger than she though she was and she's taking the beatings,the judgments and verbal abuse in the 1800's and being strong about them.
DeleteI agree Dana does develop her inner strength throughout the text. She is almost eager to go back into the past to learn. She developed this sense of courage that was not prevalent at the beginning of the book and become a stronger person. Throughout the text she is forced to face many struggles in which none of us have faced today. She has not developed only the physical stamina to persist through these hard time but has also gained mental strength.
DeleteI agree, Dana does develop a sense of inner strength which will help her later on to endure the hardships the past has to thrown at her. You have a valid point but how does this affect the other characters and how can this be turned into a life lesson to make this significant.
DeleteThe societal norms in an environment people are placed in can influence their behavior, which could cause people to either adapt or challenge them. This theme is proven throughout the story with Rufus’s internal conflict and changing behavior. For example, after Rufus raped Alice he stated, “I wouldn’t have to hurt her if she hadn’t just kept saying no”(Butler, 123). This quote shows how Rufus wanted to challenge societal norms by having a relationship with Alice, but when she rejected him, he adapted to societal norms by taking advantage of her. I think Butler introduced this event to create a man vs. self conflict within Rufus, and to show Rufus’s violent behavior. I believe that Rufus is constantly juxtaposing between his open-mindedness and his violent rages. What violent acts do you think Rufus is capable of doing when he is angry? Do you think he would ever try to kill Dana or Alice? I predict that Rufus might try to kill one of them because he has threatened to kill Dana before and has harmed Alice.
ReplyDeleteI agree! I believe that Rufus´ violent nature will become more prevalent to Dana in the upcoming text. Do to his vicious rage anything can trigger him and there is no stopping to what will do. Also it is hard to say what Rufus will do because if how much power he has as being a white master. He could have a man killed do to the way a colored man looked at him. I agree with the prediction because of how his behavior has been through the text.
DeleteI agree as well. Rufus is a very violent man that for the most part, can't control himself very well. It is hard to predict what Rufus will do next. From reading, I know how he is and what kind of person her is... but you never know with him, he is a sneaky one
DeleteThe societal norms in an environment people are placed in can influence their behavior, which could cause people to either adapt or challenge them. We developed this theme dude to Rufus juxtaposing thoughts. Rufus was raised in a society where the mistreatment of colored people was the social norm. This is clearly evident when Rufus discusses how he, “wouldn't have hurt her if she hadn't kept saying no”(Butler, 123). This shows how Rufus truly loves Alice and would never hurt Alice bit due to his environment though it was socially acceptable. Butler put this into the text in order to create inner turmoil in Rufus character ultimately creating a man vs self conflict. This theme relates to the time period because of the tie to the the slavery era. People were brainwashed into thinking that it was okay to harm a person of color and this has been shown throughout history. First starting with the slavery era, then the holocaust and into the present discrimination of Muslims. This shows that throughout history the environment impacts how we view one another. Do you feel that Rufus’ rage will eventually get the best of him and he will kill Alice or Dana?
ReplyDeleteI like your synthesis to the holocaust and the recent discrimination of Muslims because it is similar to how Butler constantly shows the parallels between society in the Antebellum south and American society in 1976.
DeleteThere is the pain of the past, but the theme relates to the time period and it has to relate to real life as well. How is what you're saying relates to problems in real life and do they still apply in today's society?
DeleteExperiencing violence can change how a person views society, the more you experience in life the more you will learn and grow as a person. This relates to Dana because it is true about her time traveling to certain era, where violence is more accepted and defined how people were. This theme makes sense for my novel because, the time period Dana time travels too is during slavery and people view violence as a way to discipline slaves. Luke is explaining to Nigel how to not argue with white people because they will get beaten by them. “‘Don’t argue with white folks,’ [Luke] had said. ‘Don’t tell them ‘no.’ Don’t let them see you mad. Just say ‘yes, sir.’ Then go ’head and do what you want to do. Might have to take a whipping’ for it later on, but if you want it bad enough, the whippin’ won’t matter much.” (Butler, 96). This relates to the contemporary american lifestyle because people still experience violence, fortunately people do not perform violence the way Dana was experiencing.
ReplyDeleteI agree, when experiencing violence or a certain situation happens in a person life, it does seem to change depending on how bad the situation was. I can relate. It definitely shows that this is true and people do change from life changing, choices or unexpected situations that occur in a persons life.
DeleteI can see the theme overall is strength. Throughout the story when Dana comes back, she is hurt or scared. She shows strength, even strength for others when they are struggling or are hurt as well. “Terrified me. For a second, I thought it was… I don’t know, something dangerous” (50). When I read this quote it kind of makes me think what she felt in a situation she has been in. A thought that processed in her brain after she came back.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. Dana throughout the story, has a lot of strength from what is going on and what she is viewing/experiencing from time traveling. For some, when sitting back and watching things happen, it is hard to comprehend/understand and continue to move past it.
DeleteI agree she's gained strength to stand up to others as well to help them, do you think there was a time when she didn't show strength when you thought she would have?
DeleteThe overall theme that my group came up with was, ‘experiencing violence can change how a person views society.’ We thought that this really connected to Kindred because when Dana time travels, she experiences violence… which is not what she is used to. A quote from the text says, “Go ahead and do what you want to do.” (Butler 96). During this part of the book, Nigel and Luke are talking to each other about arguing with the whites because the blacks then would get beaten. The more you experience in life, the more you will learn and grow as a person. This is true with Dana because it relates to when she time travels into the past and experienced how violence was exempted. This relates to an American lifestyle because to this day people are not treated the way that they should be treated. There is still violence going on in this world.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, but I think that as the times periods have changed, violence isn't as common as in the 1800s. But there is still lots of violence today just a different kind. Do you think that violence has changed from the 1800s to now?
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